Caregiving and Health Related Articles

I know, we are late into “resolution” season. But, many of us have decided to generally “eat better.” What does this mean? Should we avoid carbs, eat more fruit in the morning, avoid sugar, avoid fat – and certain types of fat? Maybe we should try the “what’s happenin’ now” diet or the Atkins or the paleo or the vegan. Which one should we choose? It can become so complicated!

So, here is what I think. I think there are few basic rules and most of these are outlined in our “weight management” brochure, but I will simplify here:

Increase whole foods. This means foods that are on the outside isles of the grocery store. Fruits, vegetables, meats, milk, cheese, eggs. Yes, some of these things contain sugar or fat – but what they have in common is they come directly from the source provided by nature. No one has to do much to a carrot or an egg – except maybe cook it – to eat it. With “carbs,” try to avoid baked goods (breads and pastries) of all kind and stick to whole grain natural foods like rice, oats, quinoa, etc. Pasta and some bread is okay – but the closer to the original form of the food, the better.

Eat healthy fats. Animal fats have been given a bad rap – and maybe should be eaten in moderation – but no need to avoid them or replace them with artificial fats like trans-fats. Stick to olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, avocado, etc.

Don’t over eat in any sitting and don’t starve. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Avoid food that has no nutritional value. In other words, if all it has is calories (but no vitamins, proteins, carbs, or healthy fats) it is unlikely to be good for you and it very likely to add unwanted weight.

Eat a lot of veggies but Don’t eliminate a macro-nutrient. Humans need protein, carbs and fat every day. Eliminating an entire macro-nutrient or a major food group like “meat” or “Carbs” is dangerous and can lead to malnutrition as well as unsafe weight loss.

Now, your mother could have probably told you all of this already! But, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. Modestly eat a variety of wholesome real foods - and go heavy on the veggies and light on junk!